An upcoming class action lawsuit involving allegations of financial fraud by former students of Trump University has San Diego in the news today. The Donald is among witnesses listed by attorneys for both sides leading up to a May 6th final pretrial conference.

Most of the stories mentioning this lawsuit seem to based on reporting by Michael Isikoff at Yahoo News. Senator Marco Rubio–who has his own problems with questionable for-profit colleges–brought up the subject of the lawsuits against Trump University at Thursday night’s GOP Presidential debate on CNN.

While I’m doubtful about suggestions of The Donald taking time off from his campaign to swing through America’s Finest City to testify, it’s telling that the GOP has finally gotten around to challenging his most basic claim to greatness, namely his business acumen.

The ABCs of Trump University

Even though it didn’t offer college credit or degrees, Trump University promised students “world class success” for attending real estate seminars in hotel ballrooms where the thermostats were set at a mandated 68 degrees.

A lawsuit filed by the State of New York alleged that the university was carrying out illegal business practices, and operating under false promises which left students thousands of dollars in debt.

The New York Attorney General accused The Trump Organization and Trump personally of shilling to the some 5,000 people enrolled across the country, a claim The Donald denied.

The GOP frontrunner appeared in advertisements for the school, claiming that he had handpicked its instructors and personally created the curriculum. The lawsuit found this to be completely false. Trump later admitted that he had no part in choosing the teachers or building the curriculum.

The supposed world-renowned instructors never seemed to make it to class, either. According a recent civil lawsuit brought against the university, the real estate lessons were often no more than an upsell, marketed at convincing prospective and enrolled students to join the next class level for an additional cost. For instance, the lawsuit claims that the first seminar was free, but designed to be followed up by another course which cost almost $1,500. A personal mentorship with a real estate elite (kind of like the ones college students can get for free in their professors) cost Trump University students $35,000 per course.

The 2013 lawsuit stripped the institution of the “university” in its name, and in 2014, a New York judge found Trump personally liable in the school’s violation of state education laws. For their part, Trump and his people have continued to defend the school and its practices.

The Atlantic Magazine reported on a document uncovered in the New York case giving insights into how the game was played at these seminars:

The playbook, prepared for Trump University seminars in Texas in 2009, might be summed up in one word: sell. Or as the playbook puts it on page 23, “Sell, Sell, Sell!” The playbook posits a “Minimum Sales Goal” of $72,500 per seminar, meaning that the seminars leaders needed to convince at least 20 percent of attendees to sign up for three-day seminars costing $1,495.

Under the heading “Registration Goal & Procedure,” Trump U. staffers are instructed to “Welcome attendees and build a Trump-esque atmosphere,” “Disarm any uncertainty,” and “Set the hook.” The hook in this case consists of selling seminar attendees on increasingly costly additional courses, culminating in the “Trump Gold Elite” package, for a cool $34,995. Pricey, yes, but the playbook notes that the list price of the Trump Gold Elite package is $49,415, a savings to students of 29 percent. Even before Trump University students had made their first real-estate transaction, they had managed to get themselves a deal, of sorts.

The seminars were usually held in hotel meeting rooms, and the playbook spells out in painstaking detail how the space should be set up. Chairs should be close enough together to give attendees sufficient space, while still “bringing attendees out of their comfort zone.” Room temperature should be set at “no more than 68 degrees.” A sales corral was to be set up within close proximity to the door, “so that attendees need to walk past sales tables in order to exit.” It was at the sales tables that Trump U. staffers would hawk the pricey seminar packages.

As soon as attendees entered the registration area, the song “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays greeted them. The tune had been used as the theme to Trump’s reality television shows “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice,” presumably because of the song’s incessant chant of “Money, money, money, money…money!”

NBC7 News picked up on this story, including details not covered elsewhere, including the fact that one of the lead plaintiffs in the case against Trump was dropping out:

Makaeff asked the court to be released from the case because of the stresses involved, according to court documents. The document claims the problems began when Makaeff was countersued by Trump attorneys for $1 million in damages.

According to the court documents, Makaeff said:

“I have been litigating my claims in good faith since filing the lawsuit in April of 2010. Shortly after I filed the lawsuit, Trump University filed a counterclaim, alleging defamation and seeking $1,000,000 in damages. While this Court ultimately struck that counterclaim, it caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety in the 4-year interim because I was very concerned that I could be bankrupted in the process. I have been deposed four times in this case, on January 30, 2012, January 31, 2012, April 13, 2012, and February 10, 2014. I searched for, and produced, relevant documents in response to numerous discovery requests from defendants in this case. I have stayed apprised of the litigation and have traveled to San Diego to participate in the Court’s Early Neutral Evaluation Conference in 2011 and Mandatory Settlement Conference in 2015. I no longer wish to serve as a class representative due to intervening personal circumstances.”

So far, the defense case can be summed up in the maxim of common law which, translated from the Latin, can be read as “Sorry, suckers.”

Too Little, Too Late

Candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz both went after The Donald in the CNN debate.

The Union-Tribune didn’t really pick up on the mention of Trump U, focused instead on issues related to immigration, including instances where undocumented immigrants were utilized on the Donald’s construction projects.

Until Thursday neither Rubio nor Cruz had mounted a sustained attack on Trump, allowing him to emerge relatively unscathed while they tried to win the mantle as Trump’s most formidable challenger.

Indeed, both Rubio and Trump had been focusing their attacks on Cruz, accusing him of lying and resorting to dirty tricks.

But Trump’s victory Tuesday in the Nevada caucuses, his third in the four early state contests, triggered a new urgency not only from his rivals but the party establishment.

Polling coming out of the CNN debate shows that, despite the attacks, fewer voters changed candidates than in previous face-offs. Marco Rubio has an excuse at the ready; it’s the media’s fault.

Here’s one thing that indicates Rubio isn’t too confident in that regard. This morning he went on CBS News and blamed the media for failing to do its part to stop Trump’s march to the nomination — suggesting that the media is deliberately pumping up Trump in order to help Democrats win the general election. Here’s his full quote:

“The media’s pumping him up as some sort of unstoppable force. Donald Trump has portrayed himself now consistently as fighting for the working people. And he has a record of sticking it to working people for 35 years. If any other candidate in this race had his record, there would be nonstop reporting on it. Unfortunately he’s being pumped up because many in the media with a bias know that he’ll be easy to beat in a general election.

“So we’re gonna put a stop to it now. There’s no way we’re going to allow a con artist to take over the conservative movement.”

Political Repression, the National Security State, and Collective Legal Resistance

Over the past fifteen years, people in the United States—and dissidents in particular—have witnessed a steady escalation of the National Security State, including invasive surveillance and infiltration, indiscriminate police violence, and unlawful arrests. These concerted efforts to spy on Americans and undermine meaningful social change are greatly enhanced by the coordination of numerous local, state, and federal agencies often operating at the behest of private corporations. Normally associated with the realities of a post-9/11 world, Crashing the Party shows how these developments were already being set in motion during the Republican National Convention (RNC) protests in 2000. It also documents how, in response, dissidents confronted new forms of political repression by pushing legal boundaries and establishing new models of collective resistance.

Raise the Wage Signature Blitz Day

The Raise California’s Wage and Paid Sick Days Act of 2016 will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2020 and guarantee that every full-time worker will receive at least six days per year to care for themselves and their families. Our signature drive is up and running, but we need to work together to qualify for the ballot in November.

*Coffee and food will be provided

We will have an update on the campaign, a training on the rules and best practices for signature gathering, and then collect the first local pile of signatures for the initiative. Bring a comfortable pair of shoes!

Radio Pulso Del Barrio Fundraiser

Radio Pulso Del Barrio is a non-profit online radio collective based out of Barrio Logan, operated %100 by volunteers of the community. We adviocate culture, activism, art, music and history. We are devoted to the the growth and empowerment of our community by giving residents a voice.

Your contribution will help sustain the station’s programming, community events, and operations.

Revolutionary Poets BrigadeLeap Year Reads & Open Mic

The Revolutionary Poets Brigade – San Diego/Tijuana Chapter Reads starting at 7:30pm, Followed by an Open Mic – Poets, Musicians, Activists

The Revolutionary Poets Brigade are poet-activists organizing around the world to respond to the demands of the moment through poetry, music and art. There are 9 Chapters of The Revolutionary Poets Brigade extant in the world today: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Alburquerque, New York, Bari, Italy, Rome, Vermont, and San Diego/Tijuana.

Brigatistas and guests will read original poetry followed by an open mic for poets, musicians, and activists. All proceeds will go to “Homeless to Housed San Diego” and San Diego Alliance.

Roy Zimmerman’s ‘This Machine’

A very special Wednesday night concert at The GO with the indefatigable singer-satirist Roy Zimmerman, on the heels of “Super Tuesday” — 15 Primaries and Caucuses on March 1, 2016!

“This Machine” is ninety minutes of Roy Zimmerman’s hilarious, rhyme-intensive original songs. The title is a reference to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to be sure, but also an acknowledgement that songwriting does good work in the world.

“Sometimes I think satire is the most hopeful and heartfelt form of expression,” says Roy, “because in calling out the world’s absurdities and laughing in their face, I’m affirming the real possibility of change.”

Cracking the Codes on RaceFilms & Conversations on RACE (#3)

This 3-hour program includes one film showing and group dialogue. Together, we will examine our embedded assumptions around race and systems of oppression, discover new questions, and explore avenues for change.

** Note: This is our 3rd session (different films). If you missed one or both before, it’s okay! Each time we’ve had large groups with varied experience and ended up with excellent conversations. We look forward to you joining! (And put Mar 26th on your calendar for a 4th session, details to be determined)

THE FILM

“Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity” asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Designed for dialogue, the film works to disentangle internal beliefs, attitudes and pre-judgments within, and it builds skills to address the structural drivers of social and economic inequities. The film features moving stories from 24 racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Harley Eagle, Ericka Huggins, Yuko Kodama, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tillman Smith and Tim Wise.

15th Annual San Diego County Women’s Hall of FameInduction Ceremony and Reception

Nominated by the community, five women will be recognized for their achievements and inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame next month.Guests will enjoy a light afternoon meal and touching performance by Los Angeles playwright and actress Amy Simon. Congresswoman Susan Davis and many other local and regional guests will be in attendance to applaud these local legends.

International Women’s Day March & Rally

Tuesday, March 8, 11:30amDowntown San DiegoMeet at the corner of 7th St. & B St.(Symphony Towers)Info & Updates

Immigrant Women Rising! Join women across the world as we rise up against abuse and exploitation!

Poverty: A family with two parents working as janitors earns less than 67% of what it needs in order to cover basic living expenses.

Economic exploitation: Janitors are among the most likely to experience wage theft, facing low wages, and hazardous working conditions.

Immigrant women at risk: As documented in a PBS special investigation, “Rape on the Night Shift,” janitors are vulnerable to extreme abuses on the job, including widespread sexual harassment and assault of women.

Get your event listed: I try to list the next 10 days or so of mostly non-commercial events I think our readers might find of interest. I source my material from social media listings and press releases. In cases where there are competing but similar events or campaigns of the progressive persuasion, I do my best to list everything. (Hint, hint Hillary fans.) Unfortunately, my subscription to the psychic hotline has lapsed so if you don’t tell me or Facebook, etc., about your event it won’t get listed. See my email address below.

On This Day: 1885 – Congress OKs the Contract Labor Law, designed to clamp down on “business agents” who contracted abroad for immigrant labor. One of the reasons unions supported the measure: employers were using foreign workers to fight against the growing U.S. labor movement, primarily by deploying immigrant labor to break strikes 1919 – In Arizona, the Grand Canyon was established as a National Park with an act of the U.S. Congress. 2004 – A 20-week strike by 70,000 Southern California supermarket workers ends.

I read the Daily Fishwrap(s) so you don’t have to… Catch “the Starting Line” Monday thru Friday right here at San Diego Free Press (dot) org. Send your hate mail and ideas to DougPorter@SanDiegoFreePress.Org Check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

Doug Porter

Doug Porter was active in the early days of the alternative press in San Diego, contributing to the OB Liberator, the print version of the OB Rag, the San Diego Door, and the San Diego Street Journal. He went on to have a 35-year career in the Hospitality business and decided to go back into raising hell when he retired. He won numerous awards for his columns from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Doug is a cancer survivor (sans vocal chords) and lives in North Park.

Comments

Everyone should go to see Michael Moore’s film, “Where to Invade Next” at the Hillcrest Theater. Moore’s agenda and Bernie Sanders’ are almost identical. They are mutually reinforcing. Told with a lot of humor.

Just me, personally, thinks journalists have become palace eunuchs responsible for enforcing lots of commandments: Thou shalt not vote for Bernie while black; Thou shalt not question military appropriations; Thou mayest be Jewish if Republican, but God doesn’t hear the prayer of the Democrat; Thou shalt have the Poor fight the Wars… and so on and so on.

I’d like to see the transcripts of those speeches Hillary gave to Wall Street for which she was paid $200,000. per speech. But they will never see the light of day because Hillary probably promised not to break them up and acknowledged their primary position in the world economy just like Bill did. Just like Obama and Geithner did.

Trump’s “Pro-USA family interests”:
More than half Trump’s retweets are white supremacists praising him
Trump refuses to denounce a pro KKK endorsement mentioning protecting ‘our [white] heritage’
Trump’s sexualized view of his daughter
Strongest correlate found for Trump support are Google searches for the n-word.
Trump’s horrible history of hateful statements about women
So Pro USA must equal racism and misogyny
And as far as “anti-1%” is concerned:
The 0.1% are the prime beneficiaries of Trump’s tax plan
Donald Trump is the rotten fruit of the American ruling class, pure and simple. He brags about buying politicians. He makes deals with the mafia. He busts unions.He uses eminent domain to make old people homeless.
His campaign is based on promoting anger towards the ‘other;” the followers of Islam, the refugees, Mexicans, women, to people in same-sex marriages. Whether you believe it or not what all these people fear when Trump says he wants to make America Great Again is the deprivation of their freedoms, and his pandering to evangelicals does nothing to reassure them.

The dumb clucks taken in by Trump are the same ones who have been voting against their own interests for years. They look no farther than his vaunted success as exemplified by his TV shows, and think they are going to gain status by association when he makes America great again.

At the end of the day, we need a Democrat in the White House this time around. I keep hearing from so many Bernie supporters that if he doesn’t win nom, they will stay home and not vote. I got over that childish bullshit behavior when I was 8 years old. Too much is at stake to let Trump or anyone Repuglican in the White House- Supreme Court appointments anyone?